#cadman's pool

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Wrinkled club fungi and sky with sunrays coming down on a walk from Cadman's Pool in the New Forest today and cotoneaster berries and rose hips and mossy rose gall at Lakeside Country Park yesterday.

It was breathtaking to see Cormorant circling a few times and Buzzard fly right over my head at Lakeside and enjoy a glorious display of two circling enigmatic Ravens overhead in the New Forest today. Goldcrest was my bird of the weekend overall getting intimate and cheerful views of these birds at both. Other highlights at Lakeside were Redwing, Sparrowhawk and green alkanet on a powerful late morning/early afternoon walk of dew covered spider webs and more as mist lifted with Fieldfare, Wren and sulphur tuft also enjoyed in the New Forest.

Two days in one post this weekend as I had another night out at the theatre last night going to 'The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan' at the Mayflower in Southampton starring Alexandra Burke, Dr Ranj Singh and Max Fulham and others who all made it a fantastic show of singing, dancing and comedy. Going to the pantomime here is a tradition for us around Christmas and this was a memorable one which it was great to see early in the run on the opening night. A precious and joyous weekend.

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18/04/2025-View at Fritham and Mallard duckling at Cadman's Pool in the New Forest

It was also brilliant to see and hear my first Cuckoo and Woodlark of the year and see my first lousewort, milkwort and tormentil of the year with Grey Heron, gorse, Mandarin Duck and Meadow Pipits enjoyed too on a great wild Good Friday.

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14/01/23-Cadman’s Pool in the New Forest

We had a nice walk round here this afternoon where it was great to take in dramatic views of bare branches, tall trees and unique and captivating cloud formations that I have enjoyed throughout today after a wet start. On the walk in the New Forest the landscape seemed ever wetter, with a temporary stream trickling down paths and what is usually a serene bit of stream going under a path was a raging rapid with water gushing from all sides down the sides of the stream. I took the fifth and sixth pictures in this photoset of some of the nice sky scenes and third and seventh showing watery scenes. I also took the second and fourth pictures in this photoset of views here today.

There were some good birds to see in the time here today with cracking views of Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Nuthatch and Blackbird at the car park. It was a pleasure to look up and see luminous Blue Tit intimately in beaches above me. Also on the walk we saw beautiful Goldcrest, Robin and a possible Treecreeper and heard the sweet song of a Song Thrush at dusk. It was also a pleasure to see New Forest ponies well on the walk including some moving through the heath at dusk as we were nearly back to the car nice connective moments, precious views. I saw one eating gorse nearby on the way here. It was good to see some insects possibly flies in the air whilst out here on the walk. I liked seeing lichen and moss at the car park and other bits of the walk, taking the first picture in this photoset of the bit I noticed at the car park. 

Highlights of things seen on the way were Donkeys in the New Forest and large amounts of water at Broadlands. At home today whilst enjoying an epic football match on TV and my Uncle visiting I enjoyed the nice sky scenes I took the eighth picture in this photoset of this, bold raindrops on the window as the macro picture in the ninth picture I took today in this photoset shows, nice views out the front, an orange flower and others on the balcony I took the tenth and final picture in this photoset of this and Collared Dove in the garden, Starlings piling into the garden and gorgeous Goldfinch and dainty Blue Tit feeding on the balcony. With me not usually downstairs in daylight these days it felt like the first time in a while I’ve seen birds on the balcony so this was nice. On the way out around town as we headed to my Uncle’s first to drop him off back home I enjoyed seeing trees and I further fathomed where prominent trees I can see from my room actually are. It seems the group of pines with some other tall evergreens beside them in the right corner of the view from my room with one now having a distinctive shape after losing a bit of itself I think are at Fleming Park near or in the old golf course where I go sometimes and used to a lot, and obvious from the mistletoe almost overcoming them now a line of trees more central in my view out the back which I previously assumed were one of two similar clusters in Fleming Park are actually a bit further along the road. It fascinates me knowing where what I can see from home distantly is.

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28th October 2023: Walk from Cadman's Pool in the New Forest and bits at home

Photos taken in this set: 1. Some of a fair few amethyst deceivers seen on the walk, a real treat to see one of my favourite mushrooms on a second consecutive Saturday such an alluring species. 2 and 8. Two of the many more mushrooms seen on the walk on another real fungi fest. 3. Autumn leaves in the sun out the front at home early this afternoon. 4. A nice bit of spurge I enjoyed seeing on the walk. 5 and 6. A Feral Pigeon seen from the back garden, the first I've seen in for a while always a nice bird to see come in. 7. Another mushroom, there isn't much of it left now but it could possibly be a violet webcap. 9 and 10. Views on the walk including the pool, a great walk to do as always taking in varied habitat and it was atmospheric in a fair bit of rain and with much mud.

On the walk I also liked seeing my first shaggy scalycap mushrooms of the year another target of mine seen this year this the place I first ever saw them two years ago, possible parasol, bleeding fairy helmets and fragrant funnel, gorse, heather, hawksbeard, possibly a thistle flower just about fading, rose hips, holly berries, chestnuts, lichen and a moth. Dozens of Chaffinches heard and seen which was a joy, Blue Tit, Robin, possible Redwing seen quickly and Mallards on the pond were bird highlights on the walk, with stunning views of a Kestrel nearby on the way on the journey here and a Buzzard soon into the journey back. The latter seen on the ground on some short grass as we have nearby before, something I rarely see for a bird I see so much so it's quite fresh I enjoyed seeing it fly too. On the way nearby also we saw pigs out for pannage with New Forest Pony and cow seen on the way too. A Little Egret in a field beside the road was another journey highlight on the way back with Goldfinch, different types of fuchsia, sedum and achillea other highlights at home today.

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7th November 2021-Blog 2 of 2: Bramblings, Redwings and more on a walk at Cadmans Pool in the New Forest

This afternoon we walked here where my Mum had seen some Bramblings in the week. Another key bird I needed to see this year and didn’t last year for the first time since 2012. We walked into the woods from here and I was happy that we saw some Redwings flying in the trees. And we saw dozens of these migrant thrushes flying around this afternoon. The sight of these beautiful birds busily flying over and into trees of an afternoon in the beautiful New Forest with sun heading down is really symbolic of this autumn into winter period for me. This was even more exciting seeing the Redwings as they were my long anticipated first of the season which is always a key moment. This was memorable today.

Not long after the first Redwing this afternoon I was delighted that we saw another autumn and winter migrant, in with a flock of the fairly similar Chaffinch some shiny Bramblings. It was so refreshing and thrilling to see these striking birds and I was in my element as we watched them and tried for distant photos of which I tweeted one tonight. We went onto see more Bramblings than I ever have at once before possibly and it was such a sweet sighting. Another fantastic bird species that I saw for the first time this year this weekend which I find wonderful making this one of my key bird weekends of the year. Seeing these took my year list to 185 a figure I am so proud of. It means my year list is only two behind how many birds I had seen a year ago today, last year did go a little way ahead on the day to day comparison for a while through autumn I was miles behind in the locked down start of this year and had that for me for my year list year defining surge in year ticks to catch up in the spring and through the summer be well ahead of where I was last year competing more with my two highest ever year lists 2019 and 2018 with how many I had seen on the days. It was the second latest date I’d seen my first Brambling of the year.

This was the first time I’ve ticked Brambling and only the second time I’ve ever seen one outside of Blashford Lakes the strong nature reserve for then where I saw my first ever in 2008. But I’ve only ever seen these charismatic birds in the New Forest I feel so lucky to have this national park nearby with all the brilliant wildlife. It seems we’re having a bumper season for Bramblings.

As the walk continued this turned into a classic day and weekend of birds for us following our walk earlier which my last post talks about. Often a bird you see with the Brambling a Siskin flitted through the trees. And a Treecreeper was a delightful bird to see on a branch this afternoon too.

There were also some exceptional views here today with the sun creating so much nice light and lots of nice autumnal colour in the leaves of the trees. I took the first and final five pictures in this photoset of scenes here today the pond looked so lovely as the sun headed down with the creamy light. I took the second picture in this photoset of nice holly today. We noticed quite a bit of fungi as well with especially lots of types where there were loads of mushrooms all together some were honey mushrooms and this also included some with some spike type things on them they were called the shaggy scalycap which felt great to know another memorable mushroom moment this year. I took the third, fourth and fifth picture in this photoset of some mushrooms, a leaf and the shaggy scalycaps. Some hawksbeard type flowers made a nice sight too. A fantastic wild weekend for me. I hope you all have a nice week.

Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first Brambling of the year, Chaffinch, Siskin, Blue Tit, Treecreeper, Redwing, Blackbird, Song Thrush seen well too and Mallards on the pool.

It was nice to see a Robin well at Janesmoor Pond on the way home. My first post today about a walk at Backley Bottom: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/667235704068243456/07112021-blog-1-of-2-backley-bottom-in-the-new